This installation is composed of objects from the new school of Japanese antiques.
Coming from Japan, we at t a t a m i brought high objects and wonders to “the world’s smallest gallery” in NY in order to display a raw sensitivity to things that arises from the aesthetic sense and pathos of the Japanese concept and an art form known as “Mono no aware”.

Looking back to the days of this New York show, it was awesome NY-trip and I did realize we tatami is going up to right way, as HIGH AND RAW way.

Our tatami dealers handle so-called “Japanese antiques” for living, but it’s not just right and not enough to be categorized into “Antique” (or “Tradition”) of stereotype as we see and go beyond the border of what “Antique” must be, like “Contemporary antique” or “New wabi (sabi)”, or “New mingei folk art” or “Stuff of high and raw” or whatever something fresh and new for us for playing. So, for that representation or enlightenment, I did focused on curating this installation called HIGH AND RAW rather than just selling antiques as a pop-up store, and actually I made it fortunately.

During the tripping and hanging around in New York city, I unexpectedly could come across two big inspirations which are installations as essentially similar to what we tatami is doing, Tea Ceremony (Tom Sachs) and Mmuseumm. Sorry for omitting to explain what those two are like here, but I realized we all three including tatami are doing the common or the similar thing (but yes from different solid approach) like subliming “usual” stuff (as material) into the media framed in the space and time as a story (or from opposite direction as well), which is the concurrence of movement and really makes me realize we are going to simultaneous process with no category.

For sure, we tatami keep on presenting more unique items through global dealing as an internet shop, but at the same time, we are becoming naked and dancing improvisation right in front of you for now and in the future.

At last for here, thank you so much for the all who came to HIGH AND RAW, and looking forward to meeting you again through the next inspiration.

Cheers and cheers,

Dai Okumura

t a t a m i

t a t a m i ( www.tatami-antiques.com ) is a team of antique specialist dealers from Japan presenting a new view of Japanese antique and art.

Since the 1879 Paris Universal Exposition, the exported “Too much oriental” objects of Japanese antiques have been distributed and stereotyped in the Western market as an anachronistic art form catering exclusively to specialty collectors or Japan-enthusiasts. This concept of exclusivity still exists even today.

In parallel, the traditional Eastern viewpoints toward “patina” or “antiquity” based on the Japanized aesthetic sense deeply related to the intangible essence and other unique concepts (e.g. ‘zen’, ‘wabi-sabi’, ‘mitate’, ‘mingei’ or etc.) have been introduced outside of Japan as well. But, such viewpoints were often too subtle or abstract to be realized through the exports of such Westernized oriental objects, or books, or related literature as those mediums were not adequately expressive.

Founded in Japan in 2015, tatami has started to present to the world through internet and events the essence, concept, and wonder of the Japanese antiques handpicked individually from the various local places in Japan by each of tatami’s specialist dealers. Because each dealer has devoted their life within Japan to these art forms tatami can honestly present these objects as one’s inspiration itself without stereotyped criteria for what the antique should be. Tatami through our events and curation is a spontaneous movement from Japan for the high and raw aesthetic sense as we wish to see it now.

As simple as it is personal, our objects and our activities we regard as music. And as in music we are improvising rather than playing a score. So, honest and undiluted inspiration is the language we strive to speak.